Virtual Workshop: Modeling Basic Mechanisms of Brain Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease in Vitro and in Silico

Target Audience

Researchers interested in learning more about modeling basic mechanisms of brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease in vitro and in silico are invited to join this workshop.

Dates

April 27, 2022, 11:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. ET

April 28, 2022, 11:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. ET

Location

This workshop will be held virtually on Zoom.

Purpose and Goals

On April 27 and 28, 2022, NIA will host a virtual workshop on modeling basic mechanisms of brain aging and Alzheimer’s in vitro and in silico. We look forward to exploring the state of the science, as well as the opportunities and challenges, in areas such as:

• What can in vitro “AD-in-a-dish” or population-level “village-in-a-dish” approaches tell us about the underlying mechanisms driving brain aging and Alzheimer’s?
• To what extent are human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and brain organoids reflective of their donors’ age, neuropathology, and cognitive status?
• How might in vitro research intersect with simulated models and computational approaches to help us understand mechanisms driving brain aging and Alzheimer’s in silico?
• How can existing structures be leveraged to evaluate the neuroethical considerations accompanying this type of research?

Registration

Registration is now closed.

Agenda

The full agenda is forthcoming. Below you will find an overview of the meeting sessions and confirmed speakers. 

Day 1 (Wednesday, April 27, 2022) – 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET

11:00 a.m.: Welcome & Opening Remarks, Melinda Kelley, Ph.D., Acting Deputy Director, National Institute on Aging and Amanda DiBattista, Ph.D., Division of Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging

11:15 a.m.: Stage-Setting & Overview, Li-Huei Tsai, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

SESSION I: Highlighting the Opportunities and Challenges in Modeling Basic Mechanisms of Brain Aging and AD In Vitro 

Session Chair: Li-Huei Tsai, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• 11:30 a.m.: Interrogating Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis using iPSCs: delineation of aspects of biology captured and not captured,Tracy Young-Pearse, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
• 11:50 a.m.: Modeling multicellular interactions in AD brains using induced pluripotent stem cells, Li-Huei Tsai, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 12:10 p.m.: 3D brain-like tissue cultures from patient-derived iPSCs develop Alzheimer’s disease related phenotypes, Giuseppina Tesco, M.D., Ph.D., Tufts University
• 12:30 p.m.: Break
• 12:50 p.m.: Roundtable Discussion with Speakers and Participants
• 1:20 p.m.: Development of IPSC resources to address Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias, Mark Cookson, Ph.D., NIA Intramural Research Program
• 1:40 p.m.: Using Stem Cells to Explore the Genetics Underlying Brain Disease, Kristen Brennand, Ph.D., Yale School of Medicine
• 2:00 p.m.: Modeling Alzheimer’s disease as a genetically heterogenous innate immune disorder, Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
• 2:20 p.m.: Break
• 2:40 p.m.: Roundtable Discussion with Speakers and Participants
• 3:10 p.m.: Day One Wrap-Up Comments and Preview of Day Two
• 3:30 p.m.: End of Day One

Day 2 (Thursday, April 28, 2022) – 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET

11:00 a.m.: Welcome – Recap of Day One and Preview of Day Two, Eliezer Masliah, M.D., Director-Division of Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging and Amanda DiBattista, Ph.D., Division of Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging

11:05 a.m.: Stage-Setting and Overview, William Lytton, M.D., SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

SESSION II: Exploring the Challenges and Potential Value of Modeling Basic Mechanisms of Brain Aging and AD In Silico

Session Chair: William Lytton, M.D., SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

• 11:10 a.m.: Multiscale modeling of dementias, from molecules to Stroop, William Lytton, M.D., SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
• 11:30 a.m.: Redundancy and realism in biological vs artificial neural networks, Cian O’Donnell, Ph.D., Ulster University
• 11:50 a.m.: Multiscale computational modelling in brain ageing and disease: From Intracellular Networks to Cell–Cell Interactions in the Tissue, Antonio del Sol, Ph.D., University of Luxembourg
• 12:10 p.m.: Break
• 12:30 p.m.: An in-silico lens into hippocampal learning and memory, Yuri Dabaghian, Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• 12:50 p.m.: FAIR resources and infrastructure for AD target discovery and validation, Anna Greenwood, Ph.D., Sage Bionetworks
• 1:10 p.m.: Roundtable Discussion with Speakers and Participants

SESSION III: Consideration of the Ethical Implications of Modeling Mechanisms of Brain Aging and AD In Vitro and In Silico

Session Chair: Matt Sutterer, Ph.D., Division of Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging

• 1:40 p.m.: Modeling Basic Mechanisms of Brain Aging: Re-Invent the Wheel of Research Ethics or Add New Spokes?, Insoo Hyun, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
• 2:00 p.m.: The Ethical Dilemma of Brain Models, Henry T. Greely, J.D., Stanford University
• 2:20 p.m.: Roundtable Discussion with Speakers and Participants
• 2:50 p.m.: Break

SESSION IV: Final Panel Discussion and Wrap-Up

Session Chair: Amanda DiBattista, Ph.D., Division of Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging

• 3:00 p.m.: Discussion of Overall Research Gaps and Opportunities for Progress
• 3:30 p.m.: End of Workshop

Contact Information

Please contact Dr. Amanda DiBattista for questions you may have about the workshop.

Reasonable Accommodation: If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the meeting organizer listed under Contact Information. Please make your request no later than 1 week before the event.